Benkert rejects offer from Ulster DA's Office

Wednesday

Aug 13, 2014 at 2:00 AM

KINGSTON — The former head of Kingston's Republican party, indicted on felony charges stemming from stealing money through bogus business dealings, has rejected an offer from the Ulster County District Attorney's Office.

James Nani

KINGSTON — The former head of Kingston's Republican party, indicted on felony charges stemming from stealing money through bogus business dealings, has rejected an offer from the Ulster County District Attorney's Office.

In a hearing Tuesday afternoon that lasted only a few minutes, John Benkert's attorney, Thomas Petro, told Ulster County Judge Anthony McGinty that the grand jury that indicted Benkert never got to see a defense of his actions in the alleged shoddy deals.

Ulster County Assistant District Attorney Jessica Mila Schutzman, without giving details of the offer, told McGinty an offer was "rotundly rejected" by Benkert.

The seven-count indictment says that from 2010 to 2011 Benkert stole property from business dealings worth thousands of dollars. Benkert's bankruptcy records show some of those named in the indictment as being defrauded by Benkert were owed money by him through personal loans, and at the time Benkert was running two businesses in Hurley — a consulting firm, Black Pearl Associates, LLC, and Whole Health Growers, LLC, a medical marijuana company.

Benkert, who headed the city GOP from 1996 to 1997, was arrested in 2012 and charged with stealing more than $360,000 through fake business deals. State police said at the time he used forged documents to convince people to loan him money for nonexistent business dealings.

Benkert, 46, was indicted by an Ulster County grand jury on charges of second-degree grand larceny, three counts of third-degree grand larceny, first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, third-degree criminal possession of forged instrument and first-degree scheme to defraud.

Both parties will now start to gather evidence before a court appearance on Sept. 9.